Saturday’s postponed Borrowdale Park race meeting is rescheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday, with the first race due off at 13 20.
Wednesday racing is unusual for Borrowdale and it will be interesting to see how many manage to drag themselves away from work, golf or whatever.
The card remains the same but expect some changes on Wednesday morning – and the rain must hold off until Thursday.
PLEASE NOTE THE NEW RACE TIMES: 13 20; 13 55; 14 30; 15 05; 15 35; 16 10; 16 40.
(Yesterday morning an email, sent automatically, from this page said racing would be on Sunday but the situation changed. Although that post was altered it did not generate an email so hopefully this will clear up any misunderstandings).
There will be racing at Borrowdale Park on Wednesday 19th February 2020, weather permitting. The first race will be off at 13 30 pm.
The race card for Sunday, February 16, remains relevant, as all the races previously scheduled for Sunday’s postponed race meeting have been carried forward.
Racing on Wednesday makes a change so, be there, and celebrate Ipi Tombe’s belated birthday.
Following a further course inspection – after 16mm of rain – the Borrowdale Park race meeting has been postponed. The proposal is to move the whole race meeting to next week.
The 2020 Ipi Tombe Stakes (L) will be run over 1600m at Borrowdale Park on Sunday and there is quality in this relatively small field. Colts and geldings all carry 60kgs, while In The Mood, the only mare in the line-up, is on 57.5 kgs.
This competitive race is due off at 15 45 and expect a cracker. Let’s look at the runners:
This five-year-old gelding by Jay Peg is an attractive proposition at level weights with most of the field. He won the race in 2019, beating Twilight Trip who was followed by Simona, Amsterdam, Kevin Barry, Master Switch and Pampas – none of whom take part this time around. Peggson’s last outing was on November 30 in a 1800m MR 90 Handicap where he finished 1.25 lengths behind Sunday’s runner Yarraman who was in receipt of 9.5 kgs. Three To Tango was 3 lengths off Peggson, and also received weight. Peggson has won from 1200m to 2000m and must be a major player.
By Nadeem (AUS) this 7-year-old gelding is versatile having won over 1800m and 1260 m in his last five starts. In October he beat Yarraman by 5 lengths over 1800m when conceding 5.5 kgs but on January 19 Yarraman turned the tables over the same distance, finishing 3 lengths clear of Sunday’s runner Three To Tango, while Fareeq and In The Mood were further back. Fareeq won twice over 1600m at Turffontein, ran fourth to Amsterdam in the 1600m Independence Trophy, and second to Wolves Among Sheep over the mile in September. That was in a Pinnacle Plate and interestingly Yarraman was one and a half lengths off Fareeq then, at level weights.
Most would agree that Yarraman, a five-year-old gelding by Await The Dawn (USA), has plenty of ability and he goes for a hat-trick on Sunday having won his last two starts over 1800m. He has finished in front of Peggson, Fareeq and Three To Tango before but the question is can he do so again at level weights. The going could be a factor on Sunday and Yarraman has performed well in the soft.
By Western Winter (USA) out of a Horse Chestnut mare, the lightly raced six-year-old has done best over 1000m and 1100m and in fact has not gone further than 1450m so far. He won the 2019 Hachiman Sprint but not sure how he will shape in this one. Kevin Derere who has been missing from Borrowdale for quite a while has the ride.
5 Drawn 1 THREE TO TANGO 60 kgs (MR85) N Takawira – Kirk Swanson (R:13 W:4 P:7)
This is an acid test for the well-performed four-year-old son of Greys Inn (USA) whose four wins include the 1600m Tote Free Handicap and the 2400m Zimbabwe Derby. He often does better than I expect but has not carried 60 kgs before. There is reason to believe he is out of the ordinary but has a tough task here. He won the Derby in soft going so we shall see.
6 Drawn 5 IN THE MOOD 57.5 kgs (MR81) Wes Marwing – Kirk Swanson (R:24 W:9 P:11)
In The Mood has actually won more races than the rest of this field but since winning the 1260m Sable Flyers in September has not lived up to expectations. At her best this five-year-old daughter of Bold Silvano could make them all run for their money – especially with a little weight on her side. I am not sure what to expect but will be holding thumbs.
Lily Blue, a daughter of Black Minnaloushe (USA), won the 1600m Fillies Classic by a country mile – as expected.
Trained by Bridget Stidolph, and with Mathew Thackeray in the irons, the talented filly is owned by the Gin’ll Fix It Syndicate (nominee Kirsty Stidolph), Robyn Macleod and Betty Prosser. She was bred by Geoff Armitage.
Congratulations to the winning connections.
The first race at Borrowdale Park on Sunday, a 1200m Graduation Plate, was won by Born To Shine and again the Stidolph yard and Thackeray scored.
The Gokhan Terzi yard saddled two winners – Fire To The Rein (Hennie Greyling) and Fareeq ridden by Mathew Thackeray.
Kirk Swanson took the training honours with Diamonds ‘n Rubies (Wes Marwing), Wee Doch ‘n Dorris (*Rodgers Satombo) and Ezekial (Marwing).
Farm Yard Tractor is out again at Borrowdale Park in the 1900m Maiden Plate and despite his name is proving to be a consistent sort. It’s considered unlucky to change a horse’s name (I have nothing against tractors but for a racehorse?) so let’s go with a nickname rather and call him John Deere.
He might need a boost to get the better of his stable companion SeattleFrost, and the filly, Diamonds ‘n Rubies, on Sunday, but I am rooting for him, regardless.
This is an interesting field in that Seattle Frost, “John Deere” Diamonds’n Rubies and Hold The Biscuit finished behind Lil Miss Gee in a 1700m Maiden Plate on January 5. Seattle Frost was 2.50 lengths off the winner and “John Deere” 0.05 lengths further back. Diamonds “n Rubies was. 5.55 lengths off Lil Miss Gee. That day Seattle Frost received 1 kg from his stable mate, but this time they both carry 60 kgs.
I had a word with Thomas Mason who trains Seattle Frost and “John Deere” and, although he expects both to give a good account of themselves, he feels Seattle Frost will relish the extra ground. Probably true, on breeding, but “John Deere” ran a decent third over 2000m when in South Africa.
Of course, the Twice Over (GB) filly, Diamonds ‘n Rubies, may upset both apple carts and if Farm Yard Tractor doesn’t win I will say he hasn’t had time to get used to his classy nickname. And there are other runners.
Come on, “John Deere”.
Photograph by Jenny Stock: Diamonds ‘n Rubies with Norbert Takawira up. Wes Marwing rides this filly on Sunday, and Takawira is on “John Deere”.
As I am not a fly, I can only guess what might happen behind the scenes at the Final Acceptance stage at Borrowdale Park. Mainly due to the small pool of horses, races fold because of insufficient runners and must be hastily re-opened under different conditions.
The 1260m Open Handicap which was due to be run on Sunday is a case in point. Ten horses were nominated with index figures ranging from 108 down to 78 – it was open to all horses after all. When the weights were published top sprinter, Coachella was set to carry 67 kgs – a tall ask for any horse – and the bottom weight was 52 kgs.
Not surprisingly Coachella was scratched along with his stable companions Peggson, Christofle and Coastal Torrent. Armstrong and Golden Lion must have also bowed out as only four of the original runners – Fareeq, Kingston Passage, Silver Coin and What A Dandy – were left in the race.
The new race is called the Open Merit Rated 88 Handicap and the four who stood their ground have been joined by a newcomer at Borrowdale, Daffiq, and Lunar Dancer (MR 58). Now we have a six-horse race but what we don’t have is a chance to see a top horse in action.
Races for our best performers are few and far between and there isn’t another racecourse just down the road to cater for them. Of course, I haven’t a clue what I am talking about, but wouldn’t it be better to give them a manageable weight more often even if a large portion of the field is running under sufferance? Good horses add interest and deserve a fair crack of the whip.
On Sunday Fareeq (MR 88) will carry top weight of 60 kgs and will give half a kg to Daffiq, a two-time winner who has scored over 1400m and 1450m in South Africa. His last race was in November 2018.
Kingston Passage will carry 59 kgs, Silver Coin 58.5 kgs, What A Dandy 55, and Lunar Dancer 52. Claiming apprentice Rodgers Satombo rides Lunar Dancer but is unlikely to make 48 kgs.
On the 15 December Silver Coin, What A Dandy and Fareeq finished behind Verdier and Coachella in the 1200m SKM Gold Cup. That day Coachella, 0.05 lengths off the winner, was giving Verdier 11 kgs.
Kingston Passage has not raced since July but won the 1100m Hachiman Sprint in 2019. What A Dandy enjoys the 1260m trip. So does Lunar Dancer, second to White Winter over this distance on January 19. She is drawn on the outside on Sunday.
Silver Coin is always interesting because although bred to stay further he has won over 1200m and 1400m and seems to prefer the shorter distances. Hennie Greyling rides.
The Open Merit Rated 88 Handicap is due off at 13 30 on Sunday. Racing starts at 12 20.
Photograph by Andrew Philip: Fareeq and Coachella matching paces in a 1100m MR 100 Handicap in November. Coachella, giving away 7kgs, won.
As you can see some people are working hard at Borrowdale Park, transforming a hitherto unsightly and underused area into something vibrant and interesting. Why are they doing this?
Only four fillies are nominated for the 2020 Fillies Classic – first leg of the Zimbabwe Triple Tiara – and to make matters worse they are all from one stable. In 2019 there were five runners but at least they represented three yards.
In my opinion, for what it’s not worth, it would be better to put the fillies’ Classic races in mothballs until the situation improves, rather than downgrade Classic races and put off punters. Let the good fillies compete with the colts and geldings in the Triple Crown races.
Sadly, this year should have been better. There are more three-year-old fillies in training who could have made a race of it. In these hard times the people whose livelihood depends on the continuation and improvement of racing at Borrowdale Park should be striving to make the best of things for the good of racing. After all you can’t win them all – and probably shouldn’t.
Be that as it may, the 2020 Fillies Classic is going ahead with, if all goes well, four runners. Lily Blue is sure to start favourite and I will be shocked if she doesn’t triumph in this 1600m event. Last time out she won the 1800m ZNA Champion Fillies Stakes over 1800m and prior to that the Breeders Fillies Mile (L), beating Wijdaan by two lengths. This daughter of Black Minnaloushe (USA) is out of a Kitalpha (USA) mare and appears to be a class act.
On Sunday February 2 Lily Blue takes on Gimmethegreenback, Prescott and newcomer to Borrowdale, Infinity Blue. The last-mentioned is an Oratorio (IRE) filly who won her last start at Flamingo Park over 1800m.
May the best horse win – and I mean that. The four runners and the single trainer involved can’t be blamed for the entries not living up to expectations.
Final Acceptances for the February 2 meeting are due later today (Monday).
Photograph: Wijdaan chasing Lily Blue in the Breeders Fillies Mile (L).
Vee Racing finished on top of the board at Borrowdale Park on Sunday, winning four of the seven races on the card.
First up was Yarraman (above) in the third race, a 1800m MR 89 Handicap. Owned by Gengiz Goksel, the son of Await The Dawn (USA), with Brendon McNaughton up, finished well clear of Two To Tango, Bugatti Blue and stable companion Fareeq.
Armstrong, by Var (USA) made short work of the 1700m Progress Plate, winning margin 6 lengths. Deon Sampson was in the irons and the winning owners were Messrs G Goksel, A P Nydam and F Vahab.
The Brave Tin Soldier (USA) filly, Moxie, won the 1600m MR 50 Handicap – a second winner for the Sampson and Gengiz Goksel combo.
And this duo scored again in the 1260m MR 60 Handicap when White Winter beat stable companion Lunar Dancer by three lengths. The five-year-old mare by Warm White Night has now won five races.
Congratulations to assistant trainer Vanessa Birketoft and all the winning connections.
Racing at Borrowdale Park in Harare - Zimbabwe 